After watching V.A.L. shut down, his hand was clapsed over his mouth... at least until the robot started back up again. He then removed it, lightly chuckling. "Oh, hey, you're okay! That's a relief. Nice work, Jack."

The electric line of V.A.L.'s mouth curved at the ends, appearing to be a smile. "Bzzt, thank you all for your warm reception and care. Please allow me to assist wherever you may need me, bzzt. I will attempt to unlock my data and will inform you when I am successful. Bzzt."

After a little more discussion, the conversation returned once again to the circumstances of their arrival to the blimp.

“Hmm… Seventeen members of the UJTS, all kidnapped and taken to this wasteful, noxious blimp?” Keri mumbles, “Well, I suppose this wouldn’t be the first time the UJTS’s fishy actions laid waste to the natural world…”

“H-Hey,” Bryan replies, “There’s still no proof they were involved in that!”

“Indeed, the UJTS was simply using that facility as a venue,” James observes, “They may not have had any involvement in the disaster that followed.”

“Hold on, what are you all talking about?” Raul asks, “I’ll admit, I’ve been too caught up in the matters of my home country to focus on world news.”

An awkward silence follows this remark. Eventually, Irene steps forward and calmly explains, “The last UJTS meeting was held at the Metropolitan Reactor one year ago. On that day, the reactor suffered a nuclear meltdown, propelling fallout miles and miles away. The disaster killed or displaced millions of people… It was undoubtedly the worst nuclear accident in history.”

“Man, I was there that day, and I bet some of you guys were there too,” Oscar remarks, “It’s a good thing everyone was evacuated so quickly… We could have been killed…”

Before the group can reflect on the event for any longer, they hear a somewhat scratchy voice come over the intercom.

Click

“...Hello? Is this on? Right, so uh... it seems I forgot to give everyone the tour of the airship I was apparently supposed to be doing. Er, well I suppose you didn’t h-”

Click-Click

The passengers look at one another in confusion.

“Oops. Starting over. Okay everyone, please take a look around the room. There is a phone here for your convenience.”

Spoiler: Dining Area

As everyone noticed earlier, the dining room is set up like an old fashioned dining car, featuring four round tables placed in the corners of the room and seventeen wooden chairs with red velvet cushions. Resting on the tables are white tablecloths, shiny silverware, and small candles to provide atmospheric lighting. As the intercom mentioned, a black phone with a rotary dial sits on a table near one of the doors. The walls and windows curve with the side of the airship, providing a breathtaking view of the bright sky passing by and the ground far below.

“I will admit, I simply adore this room’s atmosphere,” Jerry remarks, “I will surely be spending plenty of time here.”

“Right, so as you can see…” the voice continues, “There is a door to either side of the room… Let’s start with the one running to the front of the ship. This hallway leads to a small area where you will disembark and a galley where you may prepare food. The door to disembark should… be locked tightly at all times while the ship is in motion. There are also other doors in this hallway which… are strictly for employees and shall not be opened by passengers.”

The passengers look around the front area to confirm the announcement, and they find everything to be accurate.

Spoiler: Front Hallway

On the other side of the door is a cramped, crooked hallway, which leads to the ship’s main entrance on the right. Near this entrance is a door to the galley, which is stocked with plenty of cooking supplies and ingredients. Sitting in the corner is a large machine featuring a small, shuttered opening, a tempting red button, and a sign reading “Trash Disposal.”

Jack silently walks over to the machine and pushes the red button. The disposal starts up, and after a few seconds a loud series of clanking and crashing sounds blasts from the machine. Several of the students jump in surprise. Jack, on the other hand, seems relatively unfazed, mumbling, “Ah, so that’s what that does… Cool.”

“Could we not push every random button we see?” Boetius says, “One of these could be rigged to blow up the ship or something.”

Jerry opens a large industrial freezer nearby and notices that it’s stocked rows upon rows of ice cream tubs. “Ah, splendid! So there is ice cream here after all!”

Exiting the galley, the two students head to their right and notice two heavy steel doors, which give off an unsettling vibe.

Raul heads over to the doors and pulls forcefully on the handles, but they just clatter uselessly. He sighs. “No dice… I wonder what’s in there…”

“Well, if the big, strong man can’t open it, I don’t think we’ll have any luck…” Alex says.

“Next, the other door out of the dining area leads to the back of the ship. This… area is where you will find your sleeping quarters, a bathroom, and… a back room containing many useful supplies.”

Spoiler: Back Hallway

Outside the other door in the dining room is a hallway just as claustrophobic as the last one. It contains twelve doors: two at either end connecting the dining room to the storage area, and five on the left and right side. Nine of these doors lead to one of the bedrooms, while the last leads to a fancy bathroom.

Spoiler: Bedrooms

Each of the nine bedrooms is unique, featuring differently colored wallpaper, different decorations, and differently colored sheets, but they all share the same beautiful wood paneling. Each room has a compact wardrobe on one side, containing space for two peoples’ luggage. On the other side is a luxurious set of bunk beds with finely knit sheets. Windows lie on the outer walls, displaying the same impressive view that was visible in the dining hall.

However, the last room, just across from the bathroom, is different from the rest. It features wallpaper in a steely grey and a single bed with a metal frame. Helping to give the room its industrial vibe is the pulsing machine which sits on the right wall.

V.A.L. rolls over to the machine and stares at it for a few seconds. Then he turns back to the group and says, “Bzzt. This is a charging station for refueling and restoring me. It is quite fortunate that there is one here. I will be taking this room.”

Spoiler: Storage Area

The storage area is made up of five rooms, packed with junk, either placed in shelves or scattered across the floor. Two of the rooms contain non-perishable foods, mostly in aluminum cans. A third room contains a variety of recreational items, such as weights, board games, and sports equipment, while another contains various tools, easily enough to complete any mundane home project. The final room, shoved at the back of the blimp, is filled with stacks of mysterious, unlabeled crates, as well as a pile of suitcases and duffel bags.

“If you look in the backmost… room, you should each be able to find your luggage, which you brought with you. Each bedroom has two unique keys in the side table. Please take this time to determine who will… be staying in what room, so that you may all move your luggage in.”

Click

The voice crackles out once again, and the passengers are left to their own thoughts.

(Please decide on the room you want. Each room must contain two people. You may choose from the following:)

"Don't mean to be p-p-presumptuous, but I think I should take the room with the machine..." she indicated the currently-lifeless hunk of metal. "Mech-E isn't my s-specialty, but I th-th-think I might have more luck in g-getting the machine to work-- or at least f-figuring out what it's supposed to do-- than the rest of you..."

She shrugged. "At least th-that's what I think... B-b-besides, I really want to see what's in th-that spare parts box."

Suddenly, the voice the students first heard in the cafeteria returns from over the intercom.

"Apologies, but we must have two people per room! Otherwise, someone would be sleeping on the floor, and that just wouldn't be fun for anyone involved! Sky Vista Cruises has to be concerned with its reputation, you know! Imagine what the media would do to us if they heard about that!"

"I don't enjoy the idea of discriminating, but I guess there must be some order for us to be able to pick the rooms." Said Raul as he moved to the right.

"I'm not quite sure any of these rooms are what I would want in my room, and as a leader..." The others weren't sure when that had been decided, " I will be content with taking whatever room is left over."

"A bit of a predicament. We can't just make claims aimlessly, can we?" Oscar rubbed his chin in thought. "So many wonderful rooms, but what if we partner up first? We can figure out the rooms from there, if you'd all like. Makes for easy sorting."

"Don't mean to be p-p-presumptuous, but I think I should take the room with the machine..." she indicated the currently-lifeless hunk of metal. "Mech-E isn't my s-specialty, but I th-th-think I might have more luck in g-getting the machine to work-- or at least f-figuring out what it's supposed to do-- than the rest of you..."

She shrugged. "At least th-that's what I think... B-b-besides, I really want to see what's in th-that spare parts box."

"Bzzt, what fun!" V.A.L. beeped. "That I will have a roomate, bzzt. I can search my data for fun things to do, if you like."

"Actually, I do not mind sleeping on the floor." Keri spoke up. "I can sleep anywhere, really. Even on cold, hard, metal floors, though I would request a pillow if that were the case, from past experience it would help me be comfortable. Perhaps I could sleep in the storage room? Then Miss Sawamatsu can get a room to herself as she desires."

"Are we really supposed to just list our preferences for people?" Jack asked, hoping some headway could be made. "That seems a little harsh--I was never picked first in gym...or last I guess." He sighed. "Well I've watched a lot of movies so James is my first choice, but I'm fine with Bodie and Tachi-san too...as long as he promises not to be bossy."

"Preferences for people, huh? Hmm..." Bryan puts a hand to his chin as he thinks, before suddenly raising a finger, widely smiling.

"I don't really mind who's in my room! I'm fine with bunking with whoever. Oh, but again, I call dibs on the sports room!" He looks around at the other individuals by him. "Anyone wanna bunk up there?"

"Actually, I do not mind sleeping on the floor." Keri spoke up. "I can sleep anywhere, really. Even on cold, hard, metal floors, though I would request a pillow if that were the case, from past experience it would help me be comfortable. Perhaps I could sleep in the storage room? Then Miss Sawamatsu can get a room to herself as she desires."

Urumi blinked in surprise at Keri's offer. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she glared at the Environmentalist. "H-hey! What kind of suggestion is that? Are you trying to make me look like some kind of monster?" She crossed her arms again and huffed. "I mean... If you don't care where you stay, then you can room with me. Unless, of course, you have a problem with that. ...You're welcome."

"It will have to happen anyway." Keri pointed out to Koichi. "Due to the numbers there will be a minimum of one male/female pairing."

She then turned to smile at Urumi. "I do not snore and will be minimally invasive. If you are okay with that then we may share a room and aid in these proceedings. You can trust me, it will be like sharing a room with a dead person, you will not feel my presence."

"This seems like such a rich environment for development." Circe laughed. "However, I must not partake in the activity myself. Since VAL is already taken, and considering your unique appearance, you seem the next less likely to develop a romantic relationship bogeyman! Aside from Jerry but I won't stay with him." She pointed at Boetus. "And it can get kinda hot in these robes, you know. Mind sharing with me?"

"This seems like such a rich environment for development." Circe laughed. "However, I must not partake in the activity myself. Since VAL is already taken, and considering your unique appearance, you seem the next less likely to develop a romantic relationship bogeyman! Aside from Jerry but I won't stay with him." She pointed at Boetus. "And it can get kinda hot in these robes, you know. Mind sharing with me?"

Boetius stood shocked for a few seconds, before realizing this was an excellent chance to go against 'the procedure'.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum